Counting machine



DQCO C1. VEEDER COUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 30. 1922 assemble. With thisPatented. Dec. 11, 1923.

CURTIS HUSSEY VEEDEB, OF HARTFORD,

FICE.

ASSIGNOR To THE vnnnnn CONNECTICUT,

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, .A. CORPORATION OFCONNECTICUT.

COUNTING MACHINE.

Application filed December To all whom it may conceln.

it known that I, Conris Hussnr Vnnnnn, a citizen of the United States,residing in Hartford, in the State of Connecti out, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Counting Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, forming a part hereof.

his invention is concerned particularly with the devices for resettingto zero, after a succession of counting operations, those hum ber wheelswhich have been moved in such counting operations. Resetting devicesintended for this general purpose are shown in Letters Patent of theUnited States N o. 6.4-9,- 522, May 15, 1900, and No. 1,385,408, July26, 1921, said Letters Patent No. 649,522 describing particularly thedevices whereby all of the number wheels can be reset to zero with lessthan one revolution of the common resetting shaft, while said LettersPatent N 0. 1,385,408 disclose particularly certain im roved devices foractuating the resetting s aft and for applying a brake or stoppingdevice to the number wheels at the instant when they have reached thezero position, in the resettin to prevent overthrow. n the LettersPatent last mentioned the transmission of motion from the actuatingshaft to the resetting shaft is effected through a form of planetarygearing, in which the rotation of the transmitting gears on their axesis effected through the partial revolution of such gears about anexternal axis, while the brake or stoppin device for the number wheelsis actuated by a grooved cam which is secured to the resetting shaft andmoves with it. n the present case the transmission of motion from theactuating shaft to the resetting shaft is efi'ected through a form ofplanetary gearing as explained in said Letters Patent, but the brake orstopping device for the number wheels, instead ofbeing actuated throughthe movement of the re setting shaft itself, as before, is actuatedindependently of the movement of the resetting shaft and by the movementof the actuating shaft, through devices to be described. The improvedconstruction is more satisfactory in operation and is easier tomanufacture and general purpose in View the invention consists in themeans whereby the brake or stopping device is actuated operation, inorder 7 30, 1922. Serial No. 609,847.

- from the actuating shaft and in certain details of construction to beexplained. In "the accompanying drawing, in which the invention isillustrated- Figure 1 is a view in central longitudinal section of acounting machine equipped with the present invention, the number wheelsbeing shown in elevation.

Figures 2 and 3 are views in vertical transverse section on the planesindicated by the broken lines 2--2 and 3-3 respectively of Figure 1.

Figure 4 1s a detail view partly in horizontal section on the planeindicated by the broken line 4-4 of F igure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail view in section on the plane indicated by thebroken line 5-5 of Figure 2. v

The numbering mechanism may be of any usual or suitable construction,the resent invention not being directly concerne therewith. So far asthe same is represented in the drawing, it may comprise a numberingshaft shown at afwith an arm a to be connected to the part, themovements of which .are to be counted, a series of number wheels amounted upon a common axis, a pawl frame a connected to the shaft a andby which the number wheels are driven forward, and a resetting shaft 6which rests at one end in the end of the shaft on, constitutes thecommon support for the number wheels 0., and is provided with means, asshown in said Letters Patent No. 649,522, by which, through theoscillation of the resettin shaft, those number wheels which have beenmoved in successive counting op erations are reset to zero when thecountin operation has been completed. All of the parts thus far referredto, includin the devices actuated by the resetting sha t for Setting thenumber wheels to zero, may be of any usual or suitable construction, thepresent invention being concerned more particularly with the means forstopping the number wheels at the instant when they have reached thezero sition, in the resetting operation, in or er to prevent overthrow,and with certain of the supporting means to be described.

The end wall 0' of the casing c is provided with a hub c to form abearing 'forthe actuating shaft d? which has secured to it a suitablearm or finger piece a, for operation by the finger. The actuating shaft(of has within til the casing a flange a? provided with diametricallyopposite studs d on which are mounted planetary gears 7 which meshinternally with a pinion 1) formed on resetting shaft I), the reducedend of such resetting shaft having a bearing in the inner end of theactuating shaft d. In the construction shown, the gears f are formed,opposite the teeth which mesh with the pinion b on the resetting shaft,with the teeth F, for engagement with the internal teeth g carried by afixed plate 9 which is secured to a plate g mounted in the casing c. Theflange or head (1 of the actuating shaft d is formed as an arm which, inthe oscillations of the shaft ol, moves in a suitably formed opening gin the plate 9 the gears f oscillating in the space between the fixedplates 9 and 9 The shaft d is oscillated in one direction by theapplication of the finger to the arm 0') and in the other direction by aspring such as that shown at d These transmitting devices areconstructed and operate substantially as shown in said Letters PatentNo. 1,385A08.

In the present instance there is provided improved end thrust bearingfor the left hand end of the actuating shaft 01. As shown, the head orend of the shaft d has a hub 0Z which is received in a bar 6 which issecured at its ends, as by welding or riveting, to the main supportingplate In the construction shown in the Letters Patent last mentioned,the stationary gear plate 9' was supported by round pins driven indrilled holes, which construction was somewhat dificult to assemble andexpensive to manufacture although it worked satisfactorily. In thepresent instance, the fixed gear plate g is formed with T-shaped ends gwhich are received in T-shaped slots 9 formed in arms gof the plate 9This construction makes the assembling of the two plates easy whileproviding for the secure retention of the gear plate in position.

Passing now to the devices for stopping the number wheels at the instantwhen they have reached the zero position, in the resetting operating, itwill be seen that one end portion of the cross arm or head d of theactuating shaft is arranged to co-act with a forked arm h which isformed on or secured to the shaft 15 which carries the do z" forcooperation with the toothed driving wheels k of the number wheels, thedogs .5, one of which is shown in broken lines in Figure 3, swinginginto the path of theteeth of the driving wheel is as the number wheelreaches its zero position so as to prevent further movement of thedriving wheel. The head d of the actuating shaft and the forked arm hco-operate somewhat in the mannerof a Geneva stop. The forked arm 71-has a finger h which overlies and rests upon the head 0? of the shaft dtherefrom, a dog tarmac when the latter is in its normal position ofrest. Between the finger In and the shaft 2' the arm h is recessed as atk and below the recess is formed with a" shorter finger h. lit will nowbe seen that when the shaft (1 is oscillated by the pressure of thefinger, the head 03 moves from contact with the finger h of the arm itinto the recess h and against the shorter finger or shoulder h therebyoscillating the arm h and the shaft 2'- upon the axis of the latter andso moving the do s i into the paths of the teeth of the drivingwheels kand locking the number wheels against further move- .ment.

The plate 9 is provided at its upper end with a stop 9 to limit themovement of the stop arm ll;

lit will be seen that the devices by which the movement of the numberwheels is checked are simple inconstruction, easy to assemble, anddirect and certain in operation. It will be understood, of course, thatvarious changes in details of construction and arrangement can be madeto suit different conditions of use and that the invention, except aspointed out in the accompanying claims, is not limited to the particularconstruction shown and described herein.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In a numbering machine, the combination of number wheels, :1.resetting shaft, an actuating shaft therefor, having at its inner end ahub, a plate fixed in the casing, and a bar secured to the casing andhaving an opening to receive and furnish a hearing for the hub of theactuating shaft.

2. ln a numbering machine, the combination of number wheels, a resettingshaft having a driving gear, an actuating shaft, a planetarytransmitting gear carried by the actuating shaft and meshing with thegear of the resetting shaft, a the casing and having inwardly extendedarms with T- haped slots in the ends thereof, and a plate having teethfor engagement with the transmitting gear and having T-shaped ends forengagement with said T-shaped slots.

3. lna numbering machine, the combination of a number wheel, a resettingshaft, an actuating shaft, and intermediate devices whereby theresetting shaft is actuated for engagement with the driving wheel toprevent rotation thereof, and operative connections between the platefixed in actuating shaft and the dog, independent dog for engagementwiththe number wheel to prevent rotation thereof, and a Geneva stop armcarried by said last named shaft, in operative relation with the head ofthe actuating shaft.

5. In a numbering machine, the combination of a number wheel, aresetting shaft, an actuating shaft having a head, operative connectionsbetween the actuating shaft and 10 the resetting shaft, a stop shafthaving a dog for engagement with the number wheel to prevent rotationthereof, and a forked arm carried by said last named shaft and having along finger to overlie the head of the actuating shaft, and a shortfinger for 15 contact with the head of the actuating shaft as the latteris oscillated.

This specification signed this 20th day of December A. D. 1922.

CURTIS HUSSEY VEEDER.

